Local Artists Make The Art Show Scene

Two of Rockaway’s notable artists, Arlene Cornell and Stephen Yaeger, will be exhibiting their works in the Steinhardt Conservatory of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn. The group exhibition, “WinterVisions” is being presented by the prestigious Brooklyn Watercolor Society with the opening reception on Saturday, November 19th, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. The exhibition will extend to January 9, 2006. Arlene Cornell is well-known for her colorful and striking watercolors of the Rockaways, Breezy Point, Broad Channel and other communities. Cornell has settled on her present style of painting after many years of experimentation. She has been influenced by watercolorist Dong Kingman for his use of vivid colors and composition, and by Andrew Wyeth and Edward Hopper in their ability to capture everyday scenes. She has exhibited in many major art shows and has garnered many well-deserved awards for her watercolors. “…I see something and I am very moved by the scene and must paint it. It is an attempt to crystallize a moment in time, which reminds us of special moments in our lives,” Cornell says of her work.Yaeger is self-taught, using his science background to observe and interpret the natural world…in particular wildlife. He started to paint in oils about the same time he started to teach. When he showed his paintings to a colleague (an art teacher who painted and drew in the traditional, old-world method) he was told that most anyone can paint…drawing with a pencil is the challenge. Yaeger accepted the challenge, picked up a pencil and has been drawing ever since. In fact he is now producing works of all subject matter in oil, watercolor, pen & ink, graphite, and charcoal. His drawings appear in his own published children’s book, “Ian and the Woodins,” and he has been doing well in the cachet field. He has never won an award for his work, but, as he says, “Neither did Van Gogh.” Yaeger’s philosophy on his art is simple: “I don’t use fanciful titles or descriptions. I just paint and draw subjects that I find pleasing and hope that the viewer finds the finished work equally so.”